Three Seconds
by Party in the Afterlife
Summary: Sometimes three seconds change everything. One look and the world turns inside out. But even as L and Light become emotionally tied to one another, on another level they struggle against each other, struggle to win…LxLight - Discontinued
1. Chapter 1

Hey there! This is the Death Note story that I promised...quite a while ago. XD Humm, this will be following the manga quite closely though some of it will be my interpretation, of course. Also, some of it might not be word for word as I'm working with the German manga and translating from that. Still I hope you enjoy it.

Warnings: slight swearing, major manga spoilers, yaoi

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note

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Chapter 1

Did you know it takes you three seconds to fall in love?

Three seconds and you're gone, irrationally emotionally tied to a person you don't even know. Light Yagami didn't know this and even if he did he wouldn't have believed it. But it didn't matter, because believing was not issue the here. It happened and you were powerless.

The first time he saw him was at the entrance exam to the University. The supervisor told someone behind him to sit down properly and Light turned around to see what the disturbance was. And that was the fatal mistake.

The first thing he noticed was the eyes: wide, dull black, surrounded by dark circles and staring directly at him. Then the messy, black hair that stuck up in all directions, the pallid, white skin, the rumpled clothes, the way he sat in his chair: knees pulled up to his chest, toes curled around the edge of the table, even the way he held his pen, balanced between two fingers.

All it took was three seconds.

Immediately Light could feel the tension between them, the crackling in the air, the spark, the electricity. It was in the way the other stared at him, wide and direct, like he had been waiting for Light to turn around, completely ignoring the aide at his side. The world had shrunk, there was nothing left but the two of them, eye to eye, gazes locked and thoughts were crowding Light's head, so many, too many, he couldn't _think_. So he forced himself not to react, forced himself to be in control, forced himself to turn back to his exam paper as if nothing had happened. But those three seconds during which his head was turned and their gazes had connected had changed everything.

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The second time Light saw him was at the entrance ceremony of the University. He had made it, of course he had made it and with a perfect score as well so it was only natural that he should be the one to make hold the entrance speech. He couldn't wait until it was time to do so, because he was sitting next to the same young man, the one with whom had exchanged that look at the entrance exam. He made Light uncomfortable in a way that he couldn't even place except for the fact that there was something _off_ about him. Light was very careful not to look at him, keeping his eyes focused on the stage, not to letting show that he even remembered that wordless few second exchanged from a few weeks ago.

Then it was finally time to hold the speech and when his name was called Light rose with that immaculate perfection that was his and started to move forward to the stairs. The moderator called the name of the other person he would be holding the speech with. 'Hideki Ryuga'. A murmur went through the crowd, whispering. Was it the pop star? Could it be? At their university?

It wasn't. It was _him_. And now Light couldn't help but look, a brief once over, cool and impersonal before he turned to walk up the stairs. He was a mess. The hair, which stuck up everywhere, his rumpled clothes. Shoes with no socks. And those black, staring eyes. He stood so stooped, shoulders rounded, hunched forward, in a way that made Light want to grab him and shake him and tell him to stand up straight.

For all his demure Light's attention was focused on this young man standing beside him. Light held his speech without really noticing, then 'Ryuga' (He doubted the name was real. Who shared a name with the pop idol? That was just suspicious) gave his own address. Light couldn't say what it'd been about; he was staring at the stranger, taking in everything about him, aggravated beyond measure. His heart was beating much too quickly, pounding against his ribs, blood rushing at his temple. And the crowd just wouldn't _shut up_, whispering and analyzing. The idiots.

Suddenly it was over and they were descending from the stage.

"Yagami!" the young man behind Light said suddenly, his mouth much too close to Light's ear. Much, much too close, not only his mouth but his whole body, right behind Light, so close he could feel the heat and suddenly Light was filled with longing to lean back into the warmth and rest against the heat. He didn't, of course. Instead he pushed it away and inclined his head to show that he was listening, looking at the other out of the corner of his eye. And then the other began spouting details about Light that he _couldn't_ know.

"You are the son of Chief Inspector Yagami and you have a strong sense of justice as well as a great respect for your father. You want to join the police when you finish school and have helped out with cases before. At the moment you are interested in the Kira case. If you promise to keep this to yourself I would like to talk to you about something important in the case."

How? How could he know all that? And more importantly, how should he react to such an offer? Maybe it was better to ignore it, but then he did say it was something important. But what? What was the safest course of action, the one which would yield the greatest results? Light's instincts told him that there was more to this, that this could be something.

"Alright, what do you have to say?" He didn't turn around but continued down the stairs, not wanting to draw attention to their conversation.

"I am L," the stranger announced and Light's heart, which had been beating so quickly before, seemed to stop for a second. This, he thought, this was the reason he had been so sensitive to the other's presence. Somewhere in his sub-consciousness he had registered that there was something off about him. Something more than the obvious.

But could it be true? Could this stranger really be L? But L wouldn't come out into the open so easily, would he? For now, he had to react, had to be normal, as if he knew nothing more than what he was supposed to.

They had reached the bottom of the stairs leading off the stairs and Light turned around and offered the possible L his hand, light and pleasant, all with in protocol, "If that's true then I am very pleased to meet you."

"I showed myself to you because I hope you will be able to help us with the case," he took Light's had to shake it and all of a sudden Light's heart sped up again. He was so aware of the others touch, the rough, dry skin of his hand, the firmness of the shake. It was as if his senses had been heightened due to the sudden adrenaline rush.

They sat down next to each other and this time it was impossible to ignore the presence of this person who called himself Hideki Ryuga but claimed to be L. The young man had pulled up his legs in his chair and had his arms crossed over his knees. He gnawed lightly on his thumb as he followed the rest of the entrance ceremony. For some reason it irritated Light to no end. He was careful, though, to keep his eyes turned forward, seemingly paying attention to the ceremony but immensely frustrated inside, brain churning, thoughts working overtime.

What did this mean? And more importantly what could he do about it? Even if he was L, there was nothing Light could do about it. If he was really L he would have revealed himself to his father as well and that meant if he died now suspicion would be diverted directly to him. And with that stupid, obvious alias 'Hideki Ryuga', well that just complicated things even more. What if he wrote that name down and accidently imagined the real Ryuga? Then he would be suspected even more. There was no way around it: his hands were tied.

But what did it mean that L revealed himself to him? Probably that he was a suspect. But just how strong were L's suspicions? Did they only investigate him or everyone that had been observed by Raye Penber?

Well there was nothing he could do for now as much as it pained him. He would just have to wait this one out and see how things developed so that he could act. That hurt, it stung his pride and made him grind his teeth in frustration and by the time the ceremony was finally over Light was positively seething.

He left the ceremony with all the others, not bothering to school his features into a presentable expression but wearing a scowl. Somewhere above him Ryuk chuckled and commented that it had been an interesting ceremony. Light felt the urge to swat him.

"Yagami," he recognized the voice much too fast for not being very acquainted with it and he stepped over to the possible L as Ryuk made another remark over his shoulder.

"Nice meeting you," the stranger, the _opponent_ stated as he stood in front of the car door of the limousine that was being held open for him.

"My pleasure," exchanging meaningless courtesies as the other students whispered and mingled around them, their insistent chatter a mere background noise. Focusing on keeping his expression straight and his voice pleasant.

The whole way home Light focused, not letting anything slip, keeping a tight rein on his features to keep them from distorting into anything more than a light scowl. He kept it up, all the way there and up into his room, not answering to his sister's question for fear that he would lash out at her and that would lead to questions. All the way up into his room, to his desk, to sitting down. And then he let it explode.

"Damn it!!!" Light's expression twisted itself, the frustration pouring out, fingers knotting themselves into his hair, "He did it!!"

"Did it…?" Ryuk seemed puzzled but Light ignored him. How could a God of Death understand?

"L…"Light growled in frustration, almost beating the table in a temper, "that was the most humiliating thing that has ever happen in my life!"

Ryuk was quiet for a moment, pondering the mysteries of a human temper with a distant puzzlement, then he spoke, "You could just male the exchange for the eyes of a God of Death and then kill him…"

"You idiot!" Light rounded on him, spitting the words out between his teeth, "I can't do that! If he's not the real L then they'll know for certain that it's me!"

There was a short silence in which Light seemed to withdraw into himself, gathering his rage and focusing on the task with all the efficiency and skill that was his, though with less composure than he usually had. This meeting had unsettled something in him. "I need his name to kill him…otherwise the Death Note is useless. Stupid thing."

He swiveled the chair and placed a hand at his temple, "I thought if I knew his name I could kill him through and accident or suicide or something but as long as I'm not absolutely certain that he's actually L that won't work! And even if he is L it would still look suspicious…He tricked me," Light growled to himself, "Somehow he figured out that Kira needs the name to kill. I was concentrating on making L look like a fool; I never thought that he would reveal himself to me."

He paused, conjuring up the black-eyed face in his mind. It almost surprised him how easy it was.

"To reveal yourself as L to the person that you think is Kira…it's a good strategy," Light admitted finally, grudgingly, "Not only a good defense but also a good offense. I'm backed into a corner…it's clever."

In his mind the possible L stared at him challengingly, daring him. Light ground his teeth together at the thought. This person…he had bested him. It stung his pride and demanded retribution and yet…even as he seethed against the humiliation Light had to admit a reluctant respect for his opponent. It had been an ingenious move and it had caught him completely unaware. Light could feel the scowl withdrawing from his face and a slow smile took its place and finally he burst into wild, uncontrolled laughter.

"He's good," he said when he stopped laughing, "But…the move also proves that the other side has nothing on me. Otherwise they wouldn't be resorting to such desperate measures."

The thought amused him. L wanted to play did he? Well, he, Light could play as well. L had played trump, he had won this round but now it was Light's turn. It promised to be a good game.

Light could feel himself picking up, his thoughts coursing and the thrill of a challenge running through him. On the surface they would be nothing but university companions. He would be Light and L would be Ryuga but in reality they would be Kira and L, opposite ends of the spectrum. He would befriend L, he would gain his trust and he would use him to gather information. And then he would kill him.

A little thrill ran through him at that, half electric challenge, half something that was almost, almost regret.

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Reviews are greatly appreciated. I'll be updating every one or two weeks, I think so keep an eye out!


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you to all people who review! So this chapter is kind of short but I promise the next ones are longer.

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note

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Chapter 2

A friendly tennis match. A ploy, no doubt, but Light couldn't figure out of what kind. But there had been no reason to refuse. Not that he wanted to so badly.

"I do hope you know what you're getting yourself into with this match," Light said, eyeing the possible L's rumpled clothing and the hunch stance.

"I was junior-champion in England," L informed him, straight faced and bland, almost daring him to make something of the information. Should he ask? Or could that be taken as an indication that he was Kira? What the hell, he would try it. It shouldn't be too suspicious, normal people had interests in other people too.

"Did you grow up in England?" He tried to make his voice noncommittal as if it was just a passing thought and not what it really was: fishing for information.

"I lived there for five years," L, or rather, the person that might be L, raised his eyes, the dark circles, bruising shadows, were still there, "But don't worry, that piece of information won't help anyone who's looking for L's real identity."

Light ground his teeth. This _asshole_. Seriously, couldn't he let a simple question be a simple question? But at the same time he felt the spark inside him again, happy somehow that this wasn't going to be easy for him. Happy also, that L was careful, that he didn't reveal anything. Here was someone who wasn't likely to underestimate him and, as well, to be able to see his own true worth.

"First to win the set with six games is the victor?"

"Yeah, sure," Light agreed absently, taking his place on the other side. Was L going to use this tennis match to check if he was Kira? And if so, how should he act? It wasn't like a friendly match was going to deliver any conclusive evidence.

WHAM! L had served, so fast that Light, unprepared for it, had almost missed it completely. He blinked slightly and for a moment the lines of his face seemed softer and more childish, eyes wide.

"It's only a game, Ryuga," he laughed lightly.

"Maybe for you."

And the lines hardened again, all traces of surprise disappearing and in its place was…a fierce determination not to be bested, pride and fury. Oh it was a game, but a much deeper one than a simple game of tennis. But that didn't mean he was going to lose here, he wasn't, _couldn't_ lose. His pride was still smarting from their last meeting, sore and bruised and tender.

L couldn't make an accusation from the simple fact that he wanted to win a match, Light thought as he beat the ball back aggressively, and even if he did lose on purpose L could think he was merely doing it so that it wouldn't seem like he was Kira so the result would be the same. He might as well go for the win, the way he instinctively wanted too.

And the ball flew back and forth as the game grew more and more intense. They were good. They were _good_, both of them, something Light wouldn't have thought of the other person. But he was good, evenly matched and when he moved, in the depth of the tennis match…it was totally different than the hunched, shuffling gait when he walked. The smooth flowing lines of his body, taunt and flying. The movements were fluid and sharp, every turn, every swing executed with precision. It was beautiful, in its own way.

But this only registered in Light's subconscious. Every conscious part of his mind was occupied. What did L want with this match? This wasn't really a tennis match…that's just what it looked like. This is part of the game, a preliminary move that needed to made. It was laying the groundwork. Then they could pretend that they'd befriended one another…L would pretend that he actually want Light to help with the Kira case and Light would pretend he was really just interested in helping you solve it…but that's just the surface.

L would be trying to catch him unaware and make him say something that only Kira could know…but if L wanted him help then he, Light, wanted to be sure that L was really who he said he was and that meant conformation from a third party. If L wanted him to help, he would have to show him what they had on Kira until now. After all, attack was the best defense. If he stayed defensive there was no way he would be win. Only if he attacked did he have a chance.

Dom!

The ball hit the net.

"6-4! Yagami wins!" someone called out and for the first time the crowd around the tennis court registered with Light. Not that he hadn't noticed them but they hadn't really _registered_. But now he was hit with the full force of the buzzing around them, the whispering and the staring. Not that it bothered him but…didn't they have anything better to do?

"You actually beat me," the possible L looked surprised as he said, even more in disarray than usual, hair sticking up in all directions. He looked slightly less pale, though, the exercise had brought a little color to his cheeks and it looked good on him.

Light was still breathing heavily as he grasped L's hand over the net. The adrenaline was still coursing through him, making him aware, once again, of the presence of the other young man, the texture of his hand and the way he looked.

"I haven't had an opponent like you in a long time, Ryuga," Light told him as him as they shook.

They began walking off the court, ignoring the crowd that was still hanging around the edges.

"Should we get something to drink?" Light asked, "There's something I wanted to ask you anyway…"

"Sure." the L was walking slightly behind and to the right, heat still streaming off his body, "You beat me so I owe you one anyway. But there's something you should know first…"

"Yeah?" Light forced himself to remain calm but on the inside his ears pricked, "What, then?"

"I suspect you could be Kira."

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Okay, yeah dramatic finish and all. But you'll get the next part soon, I promise.


	3. Chapter 3

Righty ho, this chapter is quite a bit longer than the last one. Hope you like it.

Also, one thing. I know people hate it when authors beg for reviews so I won't do that, but I would like to note that I would appreciate if people let me know what they think about the story. Thank you. Now get on with reading XD

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note

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"I suspect that you are Kira."

For a moment Light was dumbstruck. He was admitting it? Just like that? What kind of tactic was that? But he schooled his features into an expression of first surprise and then amusement, as if the notion was so ridiculous it was funny. He tried to keep from grounding his teeth.

"Ha-ha, you think I'm Kira?"

"No," L's expression was serious, in his deranged kind of way, eyes wide and black in the pale face, "There is a chance of approximately one percent. However, if you are not Kira I would like to use your talents to help us solve the case."

For a moment Light looked at him. Just looked. L's expression was unreadable, the eccentric appearance all a part of it and yet Light felt that he was waiting for something, for Light, or rather for Kira, to make a move. In a way L wanted to play the game just as much as he did. Maybe even for the same reason: to best the one person that could match him. And with admitting that he thought Light was Kira he had just moved another piece.

A chance of one percent…it was still enough to make the situation bad for him. Light tore his gaze from L's face and began to pack up his tennis equipment. Damn. As long as L wasn't a hundred percent sure of his innocence he would never let him into the headquarters of the investigation.

"Let's go somewhere quieter," L suggested looking out towards the giggling, whispering, buzzing specters. He was slouching again, all the lines of tension that had entered his body during the tennis game gone, one had dangling the tennis racket loosely behind his back "It's too loud here."

"Apparently we made a quite few fans," Light mused. How annoying. Fans were useless, mindless creatures that followed and moaned over you. They weren't good for anything except drawing attention. There were no brains there, no tactics, no thought, just…stupidity.

"I know somewhere we can go," abruptly Light turned around to face L, turning his back on all the annoying people. It had always irritated him when people (especially girls seemed prone to it) worshipped someone they didn't even know, simply due to good looks or talent. Even his sister Sayu followed along with what her idol did like a simple minded sheep. It was a stupid thing to do, what if that person was a total jerk? Granted, predictable behavior like this was what made people so easy to lead and manipulate but it still made him furious. Sometimes being the only intelligent person could be…frustrating.

L regarded Light for a moment, a light curiosity reflecting behind the blank face, then he gave a sort of half-shrug, pulling up one hunched shoulder, "Well, lead the way I suppose."

They walked the way in silence. Neither of them were the type for idle chatter and Light was trying to formulate his strategy for the confrontation that would definitely come. He felt his spirits lifting at the prospect, at the thought of crossing mental swords with someone who actually capable of wielding the weapon. Someone who wouldn't let himself be manipulated easily, though Light would certainly try. Someone who would actually be fun to defeat.

It was exciting in a way that a rollercoaster ride was exciting, the swooping feeling and the exhilarating ride, the feeling that if something went wrong now it would end badly but it was thrilling instead of scary…and of course, the fact that in the end you did survive, you made it out and left in a high.

Light led the way to a café he knew, a small, out of the way place. One of his favorites actually, one that he hadn't taken anyone to before. But it was close to the University and they were unlikely to be disturbed there and that was top priority right now. So Light pushed open the door to the café and they sat in a corner, where they would be left in peace. They ordered their drinks (tea for both of them) and it was brought to them, steaming hot in white, procelain cups, before either of them spoke again.

"Nice place," L peered around, nibbling on the ball of his thumb. He was sitting strangely again, his knees pulled up to his chest, feet resting on the chair. Something inside Light was cringing mentally but he smiled at L.

"It's one of my favorite places; we'll be able to talk undisturbed here," he ran his hands along the edge of the table. The smooth wood felt cool under his fingers. "Besides no one here will notice how here you're sitting."

"Hmm…I can't help it. If I sit any other way my ability to think goes down by forty percent," the dark eyes were unreadable and Light couldn't tell if he was being made fun off. But then L didn't seem like someone who joked very often. Or at all. Not that it mattered.

"So what do we do now?" Light asked, "Obviously I want to convince you that I'm not Kira. Is there anything you want to ask?"

"I want to test out your detecting abilities. If that's alright with you?"

"Sounds like fun," Light resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Test his abilities…not only did it sound stupid, it was stupid. No doubt L wanted to see if he would let something slip that identified him as Kira. But Light was Light and he knew exactly what information was known about Kira and what wasn't and he wasn't about to slip up with something as simple as this. He still had to convince L of his talent of course, but he wasn't going to fall into an obvious trap like this and start babbling things that only Kira would know.

"What do you think about the fact that I revealed myself to you as L?"

Huh, that was easy. He'd been thinking about that the whole time hadn't he?

"Well, you seem to expect quite a bit out of this," Light took a drink form the teacup, then set it down again, running his finger along the edge of the cup. The porcelain was smooth under his finger. He stopped. Nervous habits wasn't something he did, he was too controlled.

"Either you're pretty sure I wouldn't kill you if I was Kira," Light said, propping his arm on the table and leaning into his hand, "or you somehow made it impossible for me. According to the stand of investigations Kira needs the face of his victim to kill. But maybe," he looked directly at L now, the brown eyes piercing, trying to judge his reaction, "maybe Kira needs something else, like the name. In which case you would be very well protected, not only due to the alias L but also by picking the name 'Hideki Ryuga' as your cover."

It was a gamble, spouting this but it was a gamble Light was willing to take. If L hadn't thought of this hypothesis by himself yet then he clearly wasn't all he was made out to be. Even people on the internet had already spouted this hypothesis. (They had spouted a whole lot of other shit as well but that was that)

"Correct," L's thumb was tracing his lips now and occasionally he would nibble on it, elbow resting on his knee.

"You're just saying that?"

"Would I have any reason not to?" He was goading him. It was infuriating.

"You probably aren't L anyway," Light was getting irritated and he leaned back in his chair to look at young man sitting across from him, meeting the unnerving black stare.

"No?" There was no other reaction.

"If I was L I wouldn't go out to meet someone I suspect," Light challenged him, "I would send out someone to pretend he was me. And I would stay at a safe place and lead the police investigations in secret." Let him make of that what he wanted to.

"I see," he was nibbling on the ball of his thumb again, the round eyes focused on Light's slim face, "For L to reveal himself now would not only be dangerous, it would also be completely contradictory to all the secrecy until now. It would be pretty stupid of L to give that up now."

Why was L agreeing with him? Why wasn't he doing something, _reacting_? Why?

"But you could be the real L." Light wrapped a finger around the handle of the teacup, just to have something to do.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, most people expect L to be the typical middle aged detective type. Nobody would believe you're L, so I'm almost sure it's you." Lies but that didn't really matter did it? Almost nothing that was said at this table was real in any case. That's where the challenge laid, figuring out the unsaid. Reading between the lies.

"But maybe L thought you would think that?"

"True," Light laughed lightly, "Someone like L would probably think of it. Man, we could keep going like this forever."

The possible L didn't react to the laughter, only blinked slowly and reached for his pocket, "I have some information for you since I did ask for your help in the case," he spread several photographs on the table between them and handed Light a sheet of paper, "This information about Kira hasn't been released to the general public yet, I wonder what you'll make of them."

Light reached for the list, "These are times of deaths of the twelve FBI agents in the order that they received the file," he was told, "And the photographs show the suicide letters of three victims in prisons, which we believe were dictated to them by Kira."

The bronze haired young man nodded slowly and began looking at the list. Did they really think he was going to react to this? To a trick as simple as knowing something he had not been told, like what information the file contained? It was alomst insulting, that.

"Do you see anything on the list?" L prompted.

"Hmmm," Light pretended to think, a slight, hidden smile slipping onto his lips, "Ryuga, what kind of file was it that the FBI agents received? The list is useless if you don't tell me that."

If he had been the type for clichéd, teenage wording Light would probably have followed that up by an IN YOUR FACE! He wasn't so he didn't but the words hung unspoken in the air, unperceivable to most. Instead he raised his eyes and met the black ones, and there was a spark there between them where L ceded the point.

"Oh sorry," he scratched the back of his head, making the messy black hair, stick up even more, "it was a file that contained all the names and faces of the FBI agents stationed in Japan for the Kira case. Everyone died after they received it."

"Ah," Light nodded to himself, as if he was coming to a conclusion, "so the file probably contained everything Kira needed to kill. And since they all died when they received the file, it indicates that Kira somehow got hold of it."

For a moment no one spoke, there was just a tension in the air, the two of them staring at each other again.

"What do you say to the photos?" L asked finally, his hands resting on his knees now.

"Well," Light picked up the photos to look at them. Where they kidding him? Did they really think he wouldn't see the numbering on the back? If he hadn't seen it and formed the sentence, okay, but really, numbering. That was a bit obvious, wasn't it?

He arranged the photos according to the numbers, "There, if you follow the numbering on the back. I don't know what Kira wanted to say with that. Doesn't make any sense to me."

"Really," L leaned forward to inspect his handy work, then pulled something out of his pocket, "But if we add this fourth photo it does make more sense doesn't it?" He slid the photo between the top two and gave Light a challenging stare.

Little fuck. Light's jaw clenched slightly. This fourth letter was total bullshit. There were only three letters.

"Of course you couldn't have known about the fourth picture," the L continued, "but you just assumed there were only three…" And there it was, patronizing and annoying, pointing out that he had made a mistake with the greatest amount of blandness.

Suddenly Light became very still. Not outwardly, where the face became a perfect mask, controlled and calm. But inside…inside something retreated, moving far, far back into a corner of his being, ignored, leaving behind, cool, calculating intellect and an impersonal heartlessness. No emotions, no distractions, no irritations, nothing, only detached contemplation and planning.

It was a shift. Before he had been all Light, irritated and thoughtful. Clever, of course, always stunningly intelligent but now that had retreated. What was left was a perfect mask that hid the sharpest of minds without the distractions of emotions.

He smiled, to himself, quite, calm, collected and, to L, seemingly unthinking, "You're right, of course. I should have thought of that. But either way, it doesn't bring us any further. Who in the world believes in Shinigami?"

It was perfect, much more perfect than earlier. There wasn't a line out of place.

L was staring again. Well let him stare, Light drank his tea. He had goaded him, mocked him. This was what he was getting out of it.

"If you were L…how would you find out if a suspect was Kira?"

Light smiled behind the tea cup, "I would try to make him reveal details only Kira would know. Which is exactly what you are trying to do."

Goads worked the other way as well. And now, if he looked without being distracted he could see that they were effective too. Maybe not as effective as L's goads had been on him (he was in the worse position after all) but effective nevertheless.

"Not bad," They're eyes met again and now Light was untouched, looking back with indifferent tranquility. No sparks, no tension, no touchable atmosphere. "I asked several Policemen the same questions," L continued, "and none of them answered as quickly as you did, or with as much skill. It's amazing how easily you manage to guess at Kira's thoughts. Excellent skills."

Light laughed softly, not swallowing the bait, "Obviously my talent only increased your suspicion…"

"Yes," those eyes. He seemed to blink less than normal people, "It's up to three percent now."

Well there was nothing to be done about that. It didn't touch him. He would get out of this; there was no way he could fail.

"On the other hand," the L was packing up the papers now, "You're talents also make my desire greater to have you as a part of the investigation team."

A flutter, somewhere in his heart, the depth of his mind, a surge of happiness. Irrational and unthinkable and ignored.

"And you're right," the black haired young man was talking now, "I'm not the only posing as L." A bit of information. But why did he admit that? If this was just a doppelgänger it didn't make any sense to keep dealing with him. "And even if you are Kira, I would still like to have you as part of the investigation team. Can you guess why?"

"If I am Kira you can keep an eye on me and if I am not I might help solve the case. Either way you kill two birds with one stone. Good idea." The compliment was uttered ungrudgingly and without sincerity. Not that it wasn't a good idea, but why should he be complimenting him on it?

Behind Light Ryuk made some comment. It didn't matter and Light ignored it. There wasn't anything Ryuk could offer right now and he needed to focus on the situation at hand. He had to find out if this was really L or not.

"You're only forgetting one thing Ryuga," Light out down the tea cup and looked openly at him, taking in the person, the mess, trying to judge him, to see where he should push, "I'm interested in Kira and I enjoy solving cases but, seeing that I am not Kira, I am afraid of being killed by him," it was probably best to push the normal person situation, "I prefer to continue my research as a hobby instead of dealing with you. Besides, who can guarantee that you aren't Kira yourself?"

Let him stew on that. "Try looking at it from my perspective, wouldn't you find it strange to be suddenly asked to help on the case? Form the outside we look like normal university students. Neither of us can prove that we're not Kira but I know I'm not. However, if you really are L or his deputy then at least you can prove that. My father or someone from the investigation team who I trust would just have to confirm it. But if you aren't willing to prove that you are L then I can't cooperate with you."

There. If he really wanted his help so badly he would prove himself as L. If not, he probably was just a doppelgänger.

"I never said I wouldn't prove myself," somehow he managed to turn Light's justified statement into an accusation; "I work at the HQ with your father. So if I take you there, you'll help us with the investigation, correct?"

The perspective seemed to shift, like Light was suddenly looking down on L. The expression was unchanged but there was a smugness around the edges of the round eyes, an I-caught-you, that would have made Light angry. It didn't, because he didn't let. Let it wash over him, unmoved and untouched.

Suddenly the L's cell phone rang and he answered it, holding it at the top between two fingers. Whatever he heard seemed to unsettle him but Light was distracted by his own cell phone ringing.

"Light," his mother's voice in his ear, willing herself not to panic but bordering on the edge of hysteria, "he's in the hospital, he's had a heart attack!"

Light lowered the phone in genuine surprise, allowing his face to go slack a little. In front of him L spoke, "You're father, he's…"

"Dad had a heart attack," he finished in feigned shock, waiting for L to mouth the word so that he could fall in.

"Kira?"

And even as they left their seats Light felt a detached thrill of delight run through him. He could _use_ this.

* * *

So, umm, one thing. I didn't actually mention what the sentence on the photo's was because I only have it German and I don't know if it was the same in English but I figured we're all Death Note fans here so you should know what I'm talking about. I trust you there. XD


	4. Chapter 4

Ah, sorry for the late update.

* * *

The ride to the hospital was strange. It was an abrupt change of scene from the café, ripped out of context without so much as a warning. L organized a car and driver and within minutes they were speeding off towards the hospital.

Light seemed fidgety. Not noticeably, but just enough that someone like L had to take note of. Just a slight clench of his hands on his knees and sitting a little too straight in his car seat. All meant to convey distress, tension. After all, he'd just been informed that his father had suffered a heart attack and was now hospitalized.

Neither of them spoke the word that had rolled off their tongues so quickly in the café. Light knew what had to be revolving around in L's head. Was it Kira? Did Kira do this? He knew the answer to that and he couldn't help the smug feeling of superiority rising in him. This time he was ahead in the game. Not that he should let it go to his head, this was still L he was dealing with but this time he, Light, was the one who knew more.

They were met at the hospital door by Light's mother, who was looking worn out and nervous. His father was alive and stable she told them quietly, the rigid cut of her black hair emphasizing the tired lines on her face, lines of worry and lost sleep. So different from her son's smooth, controlled face, the implacable bronze hair.

Light gave his mother a perfunctory kiss and squeezed her arm lightly, reassuringly. Now was the moment he could prove to L that he couldn't possibly be Kira. The Kira of public perception was a monster, not a loving, caring son. And while L was smarter than the average person he couldn't be totally untouched by prejudices, by preformed opinions and thoughts. He was human after all.

They were let into the room of Light's father. It was white and cold and smelled like disinfectant, like most of the hospital. It provoked that irrational feeling of fear that hospitals invariable do simply because of one fact: you don't go there unless something bad had happened.

Chief Yagami was in the crisp hospital bed, arm attached to an infusion. He looked worn out, worse than he had all these last weeks, and he had looked bad then. Still, it was probably no surprise considering that he had just had a heart attack.

"Light," his father sounded like he looked, tired and creased, "You came."

"Mother called me," he said as he sat down in the chair beside his mother. L took the one beside him; legs pulled up again but Light ignored him. For now his father had to be the priority, "How are you?"

His father tried to smile but it came out more like a grimace, "All right. The doctor said it was probably due to too much work and that I should rest for the next time."

"Really? That's all?" he had to broach the subject and make it seem like it had been on his mind the whole time. Well, it had…but in a different form than on the others probably.

"Light!" his mother criticized sharply, eyebrows creasing disapprovingly. Her husband had just survived a heart attack after all.

"What?" he looked at her. She should let him talk. "It was a heart attack! It's only logical that I'm thinking of Kira."

"Actually, the same through went through my head when I collapsed," Soichiro Yagami interrupted, forestalling any argument his wife would give.

"As Chief Inspector you do carry a certain amount of risk," the L said, speaking up for the first time since they had both voiced Kira's name in the café. He looked thoughtful, trying to take it all and order it before everything became mixed up, "On the other hand, we've never heard of one of Kira's attempts failing."

_Well you wouldn't,_ Light thought scornfully. Even if the attempts did fail (which, with the Death Note was completely impossible) they would just think it was a normal heart attack, wouldn't they?

Light's mother looked nervously at L, her eyes wide and frightened. She didn't want to talk about it, didn't want to acknowledge the dangerous possibility that her husband was in danger from someone the world viewed as a serial killer. Didn't want to look the truth in the eye. Weakness.

"Sachiko, go home," her husband said, calm authority filling his voice, "I feel fine. And don't tell Sayu anything. I don't want her to worry."

For a moment she looked like she wanted to argue, then Light's mother stood up and gathered up her bags. She looked worriedly at her husband one more time, then glanced at her son and began to head for the door, "Look after him Light. I'll be back again later."

The white hospital door swung closed, removing the last of her presence form the room and the tension both released and tightened at the same time. Released because now they could speak without reservation, tightened because now they would have to talk about it. It was like the air was slowly being sucked out of the room, bit by bit.

"I'm pretty sure it wasn't Kira," Soichiro finally said, "the stress, problems with my superiors and subordinates, lack of sleep, being afraid of being targeted by Kira…it was all just too much."

"Surely the fact that your son was being suspected as Kira also played a role," L commented, his voice loaded with heartfelt pity, eyes sliding to Light.

He was startled, by the compassion in L's voice (his father knew the risks, didn't he?) as well as the bit of information, "Father knows about that?"

"Yes," L answered evenly, round black eyes trained on Light, "Your father knows everything. Also that I am L."

Light's head swiveled back to his father, looking for conformation. The beautiful, brown, almond-shaped eyes were intense, noting every signal in the tired, worn face, with the graying hair, the dark mustache and the sunken cheeks.

"It's true," his father stated, "He's L. We call him 'Ryuzaki' to keep up the façade but he is L."

He was the real thing. Light almost couldn't believe it but he was, he was. The real thing. For a moment he stared again, the pallid skin, the wide eyes that were looking somewhere into the distance, absently gnawing on his thumb. Somewhere in his mind there was a rushing sound, like static or white noise and a tingle on his skin but for the most part he ignored it. Since this was the real L maybe he could solve his problem by getting rid of him and the whole investigation team…but he shouldn't rush this. He needed to this properly and carefully if he wanted to leave no loose threads. For now he was Light Yagami who was worrying about his father.

"So, Ryuzaki," Soichiro started up again, "Were you able to lay your suspicions about my son to rest?"

"No," his voice was flat, without inflection. Not bored exactly, as he seemed to find all this extremely interesting, but nothing to get worked up about, "they were confirmed actually."

In his mind Light chuckled, cool and detached, but outwardly he flared, just slightly, "Stop being so insensitive! My father just had a heart attack, don't cause him anymore stress!"

"It's alright Light," his father's voice was quite, tired but commanding, "I prefer to know. Besides you are only a minimal suspect."

In some way that was insulting. That he was only a _minimal_ suspect. But then he supposed that it was a compliment to his talents, that after doing all this they barely had anything about him. Irritating that they did have anything at all…but still.

"Yes, you seem to be misunderstanding something, Yagami," L was peering at him from the corners of his wide, round eyes. Looking at him without actually turning his head, out form under the dark, messy bangs that stuck up in every direction, "As I said, your suspicion is on a very minimal percentage. Let me explain."

There was a tug in him, going in two different directions. Let me explain again…did he think he was _stupid_? But then, he was explaining, giving him information.

"Kira killed the twelve FBI agents stationed in Japan," L intoned, hands resting on top of his knees, not looking at Light anymore but somewhere into the room, "This we can tell from the fact that they were all killed on the same day, the 27 of December, also the day they received the file. Besides that it is clear that Kira had information from the investigation headquarters. I don't know this for sure, but I assume the security system was lax.

"The probability that Kira had access to the data of one of the members of the headquarters is very high. But even though he killed the twelve FBI agents he didn't kill anyone from the HQ. This indicates that Kira had a personal relationship with someone form the headquarters. Although someone like Kira wouldn't hold back from killing someone he cared about, I think."

For a moment L looked thoughtful.

"I see…" Light prodded him to continue. It was fascinating, somehow to be treated to the conclusions of such a mind. Not that he wouldn't have been able to deduce all of these things himself.

"With one agent, Raye Penbar, there were irregularities. And by now his fiancé, who was also in Japan, has disappeared as well."

"So that's how you ended up with the Kitamura's and us as your prime suspects," he used the pronoun us loosely in this case. As far as Light knew he was the only suspect from his family.

"Yes."

"Until now I never thought of the fact that it would be hard for Kira to kill innocent Japanese, being Japanese himself," Light observed. Of course he hadn't. It wasn't true. If an innocent person had to die for Kira to continue, well it was unfortunate but…there had to be sacrifices. Those were the deaths the revolution was built on. God how that sounded, Light almost smiled to himself. Spouting his own propaganda and there wasn't even anyone listening yet. Some sacrifices just had to be made. "But it seems reasonable that Kira is among the people observed by the FBI. And since I was among those people it's no wonder I'm under suspicion. And if I've understood right there are no other suspects, correct?"

"Very nicely worked out Light," L said, "Quick and precise."

For a moment Light looked at him, trying to figure out if he was mocking him. The voice was still inflectionless but somehow he sensed a faint curl of amusement around the edges. But he couldn't tell if it was mocking or approving. How irritating. Most people were so easy to read but he…he slipped through the cracks. Everything about him, his eccentric looks and under-stimulated behavior made him hard to pin. In a way it made him strangely appealing.

"I'll cooperate with the headquarters," Light stated, leaning back in his chair, "After all, my father confirmed your identity. And I will find Kira and prove my innocence." By which he meant he would find their weakness, crack them open and destroy them. Thoroughly, to suit his purposes.

"Light…you'll study and later you can join the police force, but now," his father began.

"What are you talking about?" Light frowned at him, "Until then years will have gone by! Besides I promised-" and he let his features soften, aware of L peering at him again, "-that I would see that Kira is punished if something happened to you." Not that this had anything to do with Kira, technically. But it was still a good show, "It's Kira's fault that you are in the hospital. I'm going to do everything I can to help solve the case."

He was aware, almost of a change in L's face. Not really in the features, which were kept immobile but of the attitude behind it. It was that easy.

"Yagami," L said and Light turned his head to meet the black eyes once again looking at him from the side, in between the bangs. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, somewhere far away and almost completely unregistered he wondered if the hair was as coarse as it looked. "What kind of person do you think Kira is?"

Almost, almost he smiled again. "I think…Kira is spoiled child."

He paused to let the words sink in. L had crossed his arms on his knees, "Interesting…"

"Kira is trying, in his opinion, to make the world a better place by killing criminals. It's typical of middle school student." Light folded his hands and leaned forward, letting his elbows rest on his knees, in deep thought, "A younger child would be too scared to use the power or only against people it knows and hates. Adults would use the power for personal gain, money or career. Kira is somehow pure, like a protected child. My tip would be a middle schooler, probably with their own PC, television etc."

The room was silent for a moment. Did he know the description could very easily apply to him? Of course. But there was one other person who would fit even more perfectly-

"In light of the profile you just created, one person looks especially suspicious," L followed up, "and that would be Sayu Yagami."

Bingo! Except that she didn't have the brains. "How can you say that?" Light leapt from his seat, a pantomime of rage, "Could you please think about my father's condition for a moment?"

"I just followed your logic, Yagami," L sounded almost defensive. Somewhere behind them Ryuk cackled.

"Stop it, both of you," Chief Yagami demanded and Light turned his attention back to his father. Strange how he had almost forgotten his presence, "If you want to fight go outside." They fell silent and looked at the careworn older man. "I'm absolutely sure that Sayu could never do such a thing," he continued, "She's too soft hearted, she wouldn't be able to."

"Obviously he thinks you're capable," Ryuk sniggered at the same time as L said, "Maybe." Light ignored them both.

"Kira is evil, that much is clear," his father continued, lined face set in determination, eyes focused on the ceiling, eyebrows drawn in a firm line, "But recently I've been wondering if the true evil isn't the power that let's them kill. It's a misfortune for a person to have this power. No matter what they do, killing can never make a person happy."

"You're right, if Kira is a normal person who has this power by accident then he's to be pitied," L continued, blank face somehow radiating seriousness. Light resisted the urge to roll his eyes at their philosophical bullshit. Ryuk continued chuckling.

"Ryuzaki, I promise I'll be better soon," Soichiro stated suddenly and there was an alarming fierceness radiating form the focused, black eyes.

"Father! You have to get better first. Don't overdo it!" Light chided him. And it was true; he didn't want his father actually dying from exhaustion.

"You're son is right," and a hint of actual feeling entered L, Ryuzaki, whatever's voice.

"But if I lie here I feel like I'm dead," Soichiro complained at the same time as there was a knock on the door and a nurse entered the room, a starched, white thing, black hair tucked back neatly, clipboard over her arm, prime like the hospital.

"Visiting time is over," she announced and so they said there good-byes. Light promised to look after his mother and Sayu until his father got home. They walked in the corridor without speaking, the silence filled with the quiet swishing of Ryuk's wide black wings. How odd to think he should be the only one to hear them.

Outside there was the car, black and anonymous, waiting to take L back to wherever he was staying.

"Ryuga," Light spoke as they walked down the few steps of the hospital and the black haired young man turned around to face him, questioning look in his eyes. It was amazing, really, how much he could convey while staying completely blank.

"Is there someway I can prove I'm not Kira?" Light asked.

"If you aren't Kira then there is no need to prove anything," there was a slight coolness around the tone, disapproving, almost.

Light's eyes narrowed. He did not like that tone, "Listen, what do you think it feel like to be suspected for murder?"

And for a moment L was silent, eyes facing skyward. Thinking, deeply, about what he had said. Honestly trying to imagine. Strange that he had to think about it, even stranger that he actually did. Mouth slightly open, circles under the eyes emphasized. Something in Light pulled.

"It feels horrible," he said at last, without inflection again but as if he had really understood.

"Maybe I could put myself under observation for a month or so," Light suggested, as if his insides weren't currently coiling and pulling in different directions at once. He ignored it.

"That's not possible, we still have to observe human rights," form the tone Light found it impossible to tell if L thought this a good or a bad thing, "Besides, it makes very little sense to take up a suggestion of a suspect."

"Ah, yes…" well he supposed that was true.

"Don't worry, if you're not Kira it will show in time," L turned away from him to climb into the car, offering him a few of a broad expanse of back, hunched shoulders under the white fabric, "Besides the association with your father has almost dispelled my suspicions," He turned to look at him one last time, meeting his eyes, "Tell your father to get well soon."

"I will," the door closed and something occurred to Light, "listen, I know I said I would help but as long as my father is in the hospital I won't have time."

"Yes alright," already distracted, "Good-bye."

The car drove off. Light watched the headlights disappear around the corner, the street full of lights from buildings, streetlights and neon signs. The sky above them was not really black with all the light and here and there single stars were struggling to show. City colors.

"I've never felt that having the Death Note was a misfortune," Light said suddenly, eyes still riveted on the spot where the car had disappeared, "In fact I'm happy that I was given this power to enable me to create the perfect world.

"I don't care whether the Death Note makes you happy or unhappy," Ryuk said. To him this was all an amusing game, albeit of a different sort than Light and L played. Less rollercoaster and more television, "But I do have to say, people who are haunted by a God of Death never end up happy."

Light turned his head and his bangs fell over his face and covered his eyes. He was smiling, amused by such a statement.

"Well then I'll prove you wrong."

"That'll be interesting." And Ryuk was chortling again.

* * *

Light really is a bastard.


	5. Chapter 5

So this is the first chapter that is not following the manga. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note

* * *

Time passed. It always did and Light wasn't the kind of person that would spend his time in idleness. There were always things to do, his father to visit in the hospital, university, criminals to kill, stratagies to defeat L to think of. Trying not to think too much about L, actually.

The move came as a surprise. A random event, an unforeseen circumstance, a possibility, a variable to be added to the equation. But then, something not altogether unpleasant.

It was Sayu who alerted him to what had happened, as he didn't actually make a habit of watching shit like Sakura TV. Sayu, on the other hand was always flitting around the television watching different programs, on pop idols and other sensations.

"Light!" she yelled up the stairs, "Come here you should see this!"

She sounded excited. Nervous, frightened but excited, like this was all happening somewhere else so she could look without being touched. She could feel for the people but not get involved, like some kind of movie.

"What?" he yelled back down the stairs even though their mother told them not to shout through the house. It didn't matter, she wasn't here was she? Still visiting father in the hospital.

"It's about Kira!" Now the thrill in Sayu's voice was apparent, "He's holding the television station hostage!"

For a moment, just a moment, Light was dumbstruck, then he raced down stairs and into the living room. What in the world was going on? Ryuk had let out a noise of surprise, somewhere between a cackle and a choke and he followed him down the stairs, wings rushing through the air and filling it with sound.

Light turned the corner, one hand on the wall to keep from stumbling and came into the living room area. Sayu was sitting on the curved, leather couch, right at the end nearest to the television, feet pulled up and curled under her. Her arms were crossed and leaning onto armrest, inclining towards the TV set where the commentator was currently speaking.

"-instructed to play this tape at exactly 5:59 today," he was saying, holding out a tape to the camera, "we don't know what is on it, only that Kira will prove himself to all of you and send the world a message."

"What's going on?" Light let himself fall on the couch next to Sayu, the cushions soft and smelling pleasantly of leather. Ryuk hovered somewhere behind him. There was a bland faced commentator on screen, sitting in a chair facing the camera. Behind him there was a television on a table that had the message 'Message from Kira-the four video tapes' on it. It all seemed rather cheap and stilted.

"Apparently Kira is making the TV station play the tapes under threat of killing them all," Sayu explained, not taking her eyes form the screen for a moment. She was twisting a strand of her hair around her finger in excitement, not taking her eyes from the screen. "He killed some people to prove it was really him and now they're playing the message."

"We will now start the tape," the television set announced and Light focused on the screen. It seemed like a hoax, but it was always better not to rule out any possibilities.

'I am Kira,' the quality of the voice was horrible, very amateurishly done to disguise who was speaking but it did the job. The writing on the screen was similar to the one that L had used in his broadcast but again the quality was bad. Could this be some kind of hoax from L?

'If this video was started on April 18th at exactly 5:59 then it is now 5:59 and 38, 39, 40 seconds…" Light didn't have a clock that showed the seconds near by so he could only assume it was true, "Please switch to the channel 'Taiyou-Terebi'. The anchorman Hikoshi Hibima will die form a heart attack at exactly 6 o'clock.'

"Switch," Light urged his sister but she was already fumbling with the remote and she clicked the button without hesitation. The arrived just in time to see the man collapse on the desk in front of him, most probably dead. The two women in the studio with him were clasping their hand to their mouths in shock. Without hesitation Sayu flipped back.

Electricity was surging through Light's body, filling every corner of him with a wild pulsing feeling. This looked _real_. He couldn't be completely sure yet but somehow this didn't give off the feeling of being a hoax devised by L and it was much to elaborate to be a hoax by a sensationalist television station.

On the screen the person pretending to be Kira was talking about another victim, someone who, like the unfortunate news-anchor was unsympathetic with Kira. This time it took Sayu a little time to find the station where another body had collapsed and was already being shaken and prodded by the other people on screen. He was clearly dead.

Who could it be? It seemed it was another person who had received the power of the Death Note. But why was this person pretending to be him? And most importantly, could he use this to his own good?

Most probably he could. The person was, after all, pretending to be him. If they were caught then the police would be convinced they had caught Kira. Although…if the Death Note was revealed it would be no good either because once the killings were continued it would be clear that there was another Kira. Light frowned at the television, who was now nattering about hating evil and wanting to work with the police. Whoever it was, they better not destroy any of his plans.

"Let's see what the other stations are saying about this," Sayu wasn't facing him so Light couldn't see her but her voice was brimming with something that was half fear, half delight at the adventure, like it hadn't quite clicked yet that this was real.

"Oh my God," on the screen of the television the body of a policeman was lying in front of the Sakura TV building.

"-just dropped. Keep away from the building." An off-screen voice was saying. Light focused on the scene. Probably whoever it was had tried to enter the building by force and stop the transmission. Huh, it seemed the other person had the eyes of a Death God.

Suddenly the phone rang and reluctant as he was Light rose slowly to answer it, keeping his eyes trained on the television.

"Hello, Light Yagami speaking," he answered.

"Light, is your father there?" it was his mother, frightened and confused.

"Ah, no," the television was still tugging at his attention. Sayu was flipping through the channels again, though most of them were showing what was happening in front of Sakura TV where the body was being carried away by two medics, "Aren't you in the hospital with him?"

"Yes, but I left the room to get some coffee and when I came back his bed was empty," she sounded close to tears. "We were watching that thing with Kira on Sakura TV. I do hope he isn't doing anything dangerous."

"I'm sure he's fine mother," Light tried to sooth her; "Did you speak with the doctors? He can't have gotten far, I'm sure you'll find him."

"Yes well," she breathed deeply, trying to pull herself together, "if he comes home call me immediately, alright?"

"Of course, mother," he said, "Try to calm down, he'll be fine."

Suddenly Sayu yelped as a huge, armored truck burst onto the television screen and straight into the building, bursting the glass door open. The noise was loud, even though the volume on the television wasn't turned up very high and glass shattered and rained into all directions.

"I'll call you if we hear anything from father," Light promised quickly into the phone, "Bye."

"Good-bye," his mother answered, somewhat surprised at the abrupt end of the conversation but Light hit the button and put the phone back into the stand. Then he swung himself back onto the sofa, falling back into his seat where he had a clear view of the television screen.

The van had stopped just inside building. The person that had been driving it had gone into the building. Light smirked to himself as he listened to the commentators babble and Ryuk chuckle, greatly amused by all the going-ons. If his guess was correct then it was his father who had driven the van into the building. Sometimes he almost felt respect for the old man.

Then a police car drove up to the building and two officers got out of it. Apparently the police had decided to take action but the two weren't as smart as his father had been and left the car with their faces exposed. After fourty second both of them were dead. Definitely the eyes of a God of Death. And the person masquerading as Kira was hiding near the station. Huh.

The live reporters left in a hurry after that but they left camera so it was still possible to watch what was happening.

For a while nothing was though, no one even approached to remove the bodies of the two officers as they had with the first person. Scared, all of them. But in this situation it was probably logical.

"Switch back to the Sakura for a second Sayu," Light ordered and his sister complied, the colors flickering across the screen as she flipped through the channels to get back to the original station. There the Kira tape was still playing, amazingly enough. It seemed his father hadn't managed to stop the transmission yet.

'The police force has four days, until 6 o'clock in April 22nd, to tell me whether it is willing to cooperate with me in order to create a perfect world. The television station has two tapes, which it will play according to which answer is chosen. The transmission will start at 6:10-' It seemed like the voice wanted to say something else but at that moment the transmission was stopped and a black and white flickering filled the screen.

Sayu was already flicking back before Light could even ask her to, back to one of the stations that was showing what was happening outside of Sakura TV (it seemed to be almost all of them by now). And, lo and behold, the scene had changed. The whole front door was a hive of activity, filled with armored police cars and fully clothed officers in riot gear, making sure that not one single space was left open and no face was exposed.

It was a good plan, Light supposed. Getting everyone out of there and not letting anyone see the faces. He suspected that L had gotten in contact with the Chief of the police and organized this. L had probably realized quickly that this person could kill just by seeing the face. It wasn't that hard of a thing to guess, really, especially if he had deduced that Kira needed both the name and the face to kill, something that Light wouldn't put past him.

There wasn't much to see after that, just the police cars driving off, and people leaving until the whole area was deserted once more. For a moment, Sayu and Light stared at the blank screen, then Sayu clicked the button and the television died with a snap.

The room seemed oddly quite without the hum of the machine and when Sayu turned to look at Light her dark eyes were wide in the pretty, childish face.

"Do you really think that was Kira?" She asked and the excitement seemed to have drained out of her. All that was left was a nervous fear and a certain kind of urgency.

"It looks like it, doesn't it?" Light answered as he got off the couch and stretched, moving towards the stairs to go back to his room, "or at least, it's someone who has the same powers as Kira."

- - - -

Four days later Light and Ryuk watched television announcement stating that the police force was refusing to work together with the pretend Kira, as Light had taken to calling the other person. He was standing in his room, watching the proceedings on the small television set he had there, with Ryuk hovering over his shoulders.

'It is very unfortunate that you are refusing to work with me,' the voice, tinny and horrible, was saying now 'In this case, the police and all media which refuse to give out information about Kira will be punished. But that is not all. You have decided to work against me and you will have to pay. As my first victim I have chosen the leader of the Japanese police force, who is responsible for the whole operation or the person known as L.'

Here Light felt his lips curve into a smile. If this person really managed to get rid of L then everything would be right.

'If you decide that L should be the one to die, he is to hold a ten minute speech in four days at four o'clock on Sakura TV. Afterwards I will decide if he is really L. If I come to the conclusion he is not, I will kill several international police chiefs, so please do not try any tricks. I say again that anyone who is innocent has nothing to fear,' here Ryuk let out an incredulous snort, 'You have four days to think about my words.'

Light chuckled to himself, "It seems the gods are on my side. In this case, Gods of Death, right?"

He glanced backward at Ryuk who was floating a view inches off the ground, twisted, amused smile on his expression, "he he, sure looks like it."

"Another Death God came to this world and gave someone a Death Note," Light mused, still smiling. This was great, this was fantastic. What were the odds? "And this person seems to be on Kira's side. How lovely."

And it was. Because if he could find this person he would have on his hands the eyes of a God of Death and with that the tools to bring about the fall of L and then everything would be perfect. Wouldn't it?

* * *

So I'm going to be gone for a week (vacation in Malta and no Internet) but I will definitely try to write so we can finally progress here!


End file.
